Hub construction



061; 20, 1931. s, 5, REED 1,828,340

' nun GONSTRUC'1?(ON I 7 Filed Sept. 3. 1929 3 s Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

4 F162 GEC RGE. 5. 551:

ATTORNEY.

Oct. 20, 1 931. s. B. REED I 2 0 HUB CONSTRUCTION Filpd Sept. 3. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 GEORGE B. REED BY I Arrow:

Oct. 20, 1931.

G. B. REED BUB CONSTRUCTION Filed se t. 3. 1929 a sheets-sheet :s

11v VENTOR.

GEORGE BREED W% I ATTORNEY. v

Patented Oct. 20, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE B. Rm, PHILADELPEIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOIR BUDD WHEEL COM- Pm, OF PHILADELPHIA, rmmsnvanm, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

nus CONSTRUCTION;

' Application fled September a, 1929. Serial 110. 390,002.

'M invention has as its object the 'd, stur y and durable construction of the gblt hole portions of'sheet metal hub structures.

A further object is torender such hub l structures non-distortable by the securing means, thereby to prevent misalignment and insecurity. A still further object is a construction admitting securement of such wheels in place by the same studs and nuts 16, by which the relatively thinner hubs of wire and disc wheels are secured in place. i These objects and yet further advantages I attain b forming the bolt hole structures of tubes integrally connecting the opposed faces of the hub structure,'by flash welding the'se tubes in integral extension of the faces themselves, by appropriately reinforcing the tubes to take the strain of the securing nuts, and providing them with a flare within the .0 body of the hub itself whereby the securing nuts may be housed in part at least within the bolt hole and seat upon the flare itself.

In the accompanying drawings I show the bestembodiment of my invention now known to me, and in the following description, de-"' scribe its best adaptation. Quite obviously, however, it is susceptible of other embodiments, of modifications, and of other adaptag0 tions and utilities.

Of the drawin Figure 1 is a si e elevation of a wheel having a. hub embod 'ing my invention, and

. ig. 2 is an en arged radial cross section 'of' one side of such a hub taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. ig. 3 shows in section one bolt hole portion in the weldin machine.

Fi 4 is a etail sectional view showin a step in the forming of the wheel prior to t at showninFig.3.

. Fig. 5 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a tube before welding it in place.

Fi 6 and 8 are views similar to Fig. 2

showing modifications.

Fi 7 and 9 are views similar to Fig. 5 show ng modified tubes entering into the constructionof Figs. 6 and 8, res ctively.

Figs. 10 and 11 are'partial ra ial'sections of additional modifications. I

spokes 12.

of the wheel body, in the m'edi plane of tread 13 of the wheel.

Prior to this flash welding o ration and in the die stamping operation in which the halves of the wheel body are formed, I outwardly offset theopposed faces of the hub portion 10,- as indicated at 14 and 15. In the same or subsequent die stamping operations, I pierce holes in he hub portion and inwardly turn about their margins flanges 16. The flange 16 of the inner art is of less diameter than the flange 16 of t e outer part.

Between these flan es 16 I inter ose for each bolt hole a tube 1% having a are -18 intermediate its ends, and the diameters of its ends substantially equal to the diameters of the flanges 16, the inner the smaller, the outer the greater. This tube originally is of somewhat greater length than necessary to reach between the mturned flanges 16, and indeed, the flanges 16 themselves are somewhat deeper than necessary to effect 'oinder with the tube 17, whereb both the tu 17 and the flanges 16 may be urned ofl by flash weldin sembly. All the tubes 17 are welded to one half stamping of the wheel b a flash welding operation as indicated in ig. 4. In the operation of flash weldin together the parts 0 the bod 11, I assemb e together the two parts of t e wheel bod the one with the tubes 17 already welde to it as indicated in Fig. .3, which he section of the same portion of the wheel shown in Fig. 2. The parts aremoved into. electro .contact and at the in as-- same time'that the parts of the main body in the medial plane 13 are welded together the flan es 16 of the'other half ofthe whee are wel ed to the tube 17. The tube 17 .is ali ed by an arbor'1 9 constituting apart oft e welding jig or dles. v

After the joints between the flanges 16 and the tube 17 are cleaned up, a reinforcing tube 19' having a flare 20 and complemental to the flare of tube 17 and its portion of smaller diameter, is forced home within tube 17 into the position shown in Fig. 2, and retained therein either by the force fit or by the force fit plus spot welding in the flare or at other points. I

The completed structure is bolted to the main hub flange. 21 by studs 22 and nuts 23. The cap nuts 23 are of the ball-faced type. Their main bodies are accommodated within the bolt holes constituted by tubes 17 and the associated structure, and their ball heads seat on the flare structure 1820. There is suflicient clearance between tubes 17 and the heads of the nuts to receive the side walls of the socket wrench.

The tubes 17 maybe modified as shown in Fig. 6 by forming the thickened reinforcement at the flare 21 as an integral part of the tube. Such tubes with thickened portions at the flare, shown separately in Fig. 7 may be made by forging or machining. In both of the constructions shown in ig. 2 and Fig. 6, 1' may, if desired, close the space between the nut and the wall of the hole by enlar 'ng the body of the nut as shown at 24 in Fig. 6, to substantially fill the outer end of the hole, the wrench receiving part of the nut, in such case, projectingbeyond the face of the wheel. The tube may also take the form of a length of relatively heavy straight tubing 25, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, one end of which is formed with an annular groove 26, providing an inner annular flange 27 of substantially the gauge of the wheel half stamping, and adapted to be welded to a flange 16 of one of said halves, and the other end is formed inwardly with a seat 27 complemental to the ball seat of a nut and outwardly with an annular flange 28 adapted to be welded to the outer half of the wheel. The nut 29 may in this case be provided with a threaded skirt 30, to obtain a securer engagement with the stud, which is of the short length used in connection with wire and disc wheels.

In this simple structure I have attained all the objects of my invention. Simplicity, strength, sturdiness, durability, perfect alignment, freedom from distortion, securing and general adaptability to standard bolt and nut securement, are found to be hand in hand advantageous.

My invention is susceptible of numerous modifications as would appear already to have been shown. But two others are shown in Figs. 10 to 13. These modifications are particularly adapted for thin hubs for securement without modification by the same studs and nuts with which disc wheels are attached. Disc wheels, it will be remembered, have very relatively shallow central portions for attachment to hub flanges.

The modification of Fi 10 to 12 consist in offsetting outwardly t e outer stamping of the wheel at 31 and offsetting inwardly in conical form the inner portion 32 of the inner stamping. Around the bolt holes the outer stamping is then turned inwardly as at 33 and the inner stamping also turned inwardly as at 34 but on a diameter greater by at least twice the gauge of the metal within the diameter of the portion 33. An interconnecting thimble 35 (Fig. 12) of relatively short length is flash welded to the portions 33-31. To facilitate this flash welding the seat portion 27 is provided with the pro ect1ng flange 28 used in other modifications, particularly that of Fig. 8, while the inner end is reversely directed and provided w1th an outturned welding flange or head 36 essentiallv similar to 28. But while flange 28 is of the diameter of the part 33, flange 36 is of the diameter of the part 34, thereby the thimble 35 may be flash welded into place after stampings which compose the body of the wheel have been flash welded together, the portion 28 entering and passing through the portion 34 freely. I

The modification of Figs. 11 and 13 1s s milar in respect to the offset central portions 3] -32 and the inturned flanges 33 around the bolt holes. But the portion 32 is outturned about the bolt holes as at 37. The thimble 38 is provided with a welding bead 28 complemental to the flange 33 and adioining its seat portion 27 On its inner end it is provided with a head 27 essentially similar to the head of the same number of the form of Fi s. 8 and 9. and, as in that case. of less diameter than the head 28. This thimble 38 is likewiseflash welded hv beads 27 and 28 to the bolt hole flanges 33 and 37. But both welds are internal to the structure and not therefore to he made at the time the stampings of the body of th wheel are flash welded together. The thimbles are rovided with a laterally exendinv skirt 39 emanating inwardlv of the head 27 and projected into sunportinv contact with the inner face 15 of the portion 32 continmmus to the hub flan e.

It will be understood. of course. that various changes in the invention mav be made from time to time without departing from the real s irit or principles thereof and it is accordin ly intended to claim the same broad- IV. as well as specifically, as indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim'and desire to secure by Letter Patent is:

1. A sheet metal wheel including a hollow nave portion having opposite sides provided with bolt receiving openings and reinforcing thimbles received within said bolt receiving openings and inter-connecting the opposite sides of the wheel, said thimbles being flared intermediate their ends to provide a nut receiving seat within the hollow nave portion of the wheel.

2. A vehicle wheel including a nave portion of substantial thickness having bolt receivin g openings assing therethrough, and a plura ity of rem orcing thimbles connecting oposite sides of the nave portion and each havmg a flared portion intermediate its ends adapted to receive securing nuts.

3. The method of making a hollow pressed metal nave structure having bolt holes therein and reinforcing thimbles interconnecting the opposite sides thereof which consists in forming two opposed stampings conformed to the op osite sides of the nave to be produced wit flan ed bolt holes, welding tubes to the flanges 0 one of said stampings and thereafter welding together the opposed stampings and simultaneously welding the tubes to the flanges of the second stamping.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

GEORGE B. REED. 

